OPERATION REBOOT OUTDOORS

Nicole Waite

Board President

Nicole worked with Dan to create Operation ReBoot Outdoors in 2019.  She is the wife of an Army Veteran, mother, and career woman.  She and Dan have been married since 2004 but have been friends since they met in the fifth grade.  The organization is run out of Base Camp Turner, their home in Turner, Maine.

Nicole does a little bit of everything for Operation ReBoot Outdoors.  Fundraising, house keeping, head chef, event coordinating, shipping, receiving... she wears a variety of hats for the organization.  If you reach out to ReBoot, it will most likely be Nicole who responds.  If you order gear, it was packed and shipped by Nicole.  If you eat a breakfast sandwich on a trip, she probably made it.

Nicole believes in the Mission wholeheartedly, as she has seen the magic of ReBoot first-hand in her husband, the founder of the organization.  

Nikki Withrow

ORO Vice President

Nikki joined us in the spring of 2021, after a close friend (and Veteran) went on a ReBoot Mission and recommended that she check us out. Quickly connecting with our mission, she started as a volunteer and was voted as Vice President of the board shortly after. She has over 10 years of experience in fundraising and marketing; and has served on several boards and committees throughout the Androscoggin community. She looks forward to helping us ‘Dream Bigger’ and continue to make an impact where it’s needed most.

Ken Blaisdell

Veteran

Board Secretary

Ken served in the United States Army until 2016, when he suffered life-altering injuries.  Before finding Operation ReBoot Outdoors, he spent his days depressed, in and out of the hospital for severe mental health issues.

"If Dan at ReBoot didn’t reach out to me, I can truly say I would have been one of the 22."  (22 Veterans take their lives each day in the United States)  ReBoot Missions, pushing him to overcome his physical disabilities to get out in the woods again, have changed the way Ken looks at life.  

"Just thinking about everything that I have done with ReBoot brings tears to my eyes. And it’s not just about my time with ReBoot; seeing all the veterans smile with joy and find life again and not give up, is the best feeling in the world."

Nathan Williams

Service Member

Board Treasurer

Nate served in the Army National Guard starting in 2002 as a Heavy Equipment Operator and still serves today in the Recruiting and Retention Battalion as a Recruit Sustainment Program 1ST Sergeant. At 17 years old as a high school student in Gardiner, Maine he made the decision to serve my country. By 20, Nate was on his first deployment to Iraq. After deployment he finished his education in Conservation Law Enforcement at Unity College and the outdoors became a big part of his life.  Once he found out about Operation Reboot Outdoors, he know he needed to be part of it, and Nate wanted the opportunity to help people that have had the same experiences he has had. He never really thought of it as a reboot for himself, but every time someone completes a successful mission, the desire to help people grows. Operation Reboot Outdoors has helped him grow as a person and become a much bigger part of the outdoors than ever before. With the assistance of Operation Reboot Outdoors, he was able to complete his Grand Slam in 2020, which is an experience he will never forget.

Abraham J Bradeen

Board Member & Volunteer

Registered Maine Guide

Abraham Bradeen, a.k.a. Polar Bear, grew up in the small town of Carthage, Maine.  He graduated from Dirigo High School in 2001 and pursued a career at Irving Forest Products in Dixfield, Maine.  Growing up, Abraham was exposed to the outdoors at a very young age. His father, a local logger, and several other mentors, showed him the woods and the water, and he's been there ever since. Abraham takes great pride in sharing the outdoors with others.  Before Reboot, he often shared his time with anybody who wanted help. He has mentored several youths to be very successful in the woods and on the water over the years.  Abraham’s favorite time of the year is moose season.  He is one of the top moose callers in Maine and often competes in the yearly competition at the Maine Moose Lottery. Abraham shares his love for chasing moose, along with his brother, Sherman.  Together there are like a finely tuned machine. They have put several hunters on bulls that push the 60 inch mark.  

Abraham may not be a veteran but shares the Mission, and he looks forward to perusing his Fishing Guide License. He often says ReBoot has changed his life in many ways, realizing, "it is the simple things in life that  matter the most”.